The present invention relates generally to safety harnesses, and particularly to full body safety harnesses which, for example, provide ease of attachment of, for example, a safety lanyard or self retracting lanyard to a D ring or other connective ring attached to the safety harness and/or provide a readily detectable indication that the safety harness has been subjected to a significant force (for example, as in an impact or in a fall).
The following information is provided to assist the reader in understanding the invention disclosed below and the environment in which it will typically be used. The terms used herein are not intended to be limited to any particular narrow interpretation unless clearly stated otherwise in this document. References set forth herein may facilitate understanding of the present invention or the background of the present invention. The disclosure of all references cited herein are incorporated by reference.
Safety harnesses are commonly used as part of a fall protection system for persons subjected to the potential of a fall from a height. In the workplace, full-body safety harnesses are required when working at a height of six feet or greater. Such harnesses, which typically include both an upper torso portion (having, for example, shoulder straps) and a lower torso or seat portion (having, for example one or more leg straps and sometimes a seat strap), can be designed in many alternative manners.
FIG. 1 illustrates an embodiment of a conventional, commercially available full-body safety harness 10 Safety harness 10 includes an upper torso portion 12 comprising first and second shoulder straps 20 and 30, respectively, for extending over the shoulders of the user and a multi-component chest strap 40 for extending over a portion of the chest of the user.
A first end of each of shoulder straps 20 and 30 extends down over the back of the user to form first and second generally longitudinal back straps 22 and 32, respectively. Longitudinal back straps 22 and 32 of shoulder straps 20 and 30 cross through and connect to a typical connector such as a D-ring 50 as known in the art. D ring 50 includes a harness connection portion 52 and an anchor portion 54. Harness connection portion 52 enables fastening of D-ring 50 to safety harness 10 via longitudinal back straps 22 and 32. Anchor portion 54 is adapted to be connected to a nylon rope, a chain, webbing or other connector which may be used to anchor the person wearing safety harness 10. Safety harness 10 includes a rear pad or back pad 56 that functions to guide the rear strap portions of the shoulder straps in a crossing fashion over the back of the user in the vicinity of D ring 50.
After crossing and passing through D-ring 50, shoulder straps 20 and 30 are connected via a generally latitudinal back strap 60. Latitudinal back strap 60 passes generally latitudinally over a portion of the back of the user.
A second end of each of shoulder straps 20 and 30 extends downward over the front of the user to from generally longitudinal first and second front straps 24 and 34, respectively. A first chest strap portion 42 is attached to front strap 24 and a second chest strap portion 44 is attached to front strap 34. Each of first and second chest straps 42 and 44 have cooperating fastening members 46 and 48 on the ends thereof to enable attachment of first and second chest straps 42 and 44 to form chest strap 40. As known in the art, first and second chest straps 42 and 44, respectively, are preferably attached via an adjustable mating friction buckle mechanism, including, for example, cooperating fastening members 46 and 48.
First and second front straps 24 and 34 of shoulder straps 20 and 30, respectively, extend further downward and preferably include adjustment members 26 and 36 (for example, adjustable friction buckles) as known in the art for adjustment of the fit of safety harness 10 on the upper torso of the user. Extending still further downward, extensions 24a and 34a of first and second front straps 24 and 34 converge and, in connection with several other components of safety harness 10 as described below, form a lower torso, seat or subpelvic portion 70. First and second front extension straps 24a and 34a connect at section 98, passing to the rear and under the seat of the user.
Attached to and extending from seat portion 70 are a first and a second leg strap 80 and 90, respectively. Each of first and second leg straps 80 and 90 pass around the upper leg of the user to be attached to the distal end of first and second longitudinal back straps 22 and 32, respectively. The distal ends of each of first and second leg straps 80 and 90 and the distal ends of each of longitudinal back straps 22 and 32 thus preferably comprise cooperating fastening members (82 and 92 and 28 and 38, respectively) such as adjusting buckle members as known in the art.
As in most commercially available harnesses, anchor portion 54 of D ring 50 hangs downward as a result of the force of gravity after a harness is donned by the user. This position of D ring 50 causes a significant amount of difficulty in attaching, for example, a snap hook (not shown) on the end of a lanyard (not shown) to D ring 50 once harness 10 has been donned. Indeed, the wearer of a safety harness such as safety harness 10 often has to have another person connect such a snap hook (or other lanyard connector) to D ring 50.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,073,627 and Published U.S. Patent Application No. US2005/0082114 disclose a spring-loaded mechanism that constantly biases or urges a D ring to an upright (or standup) position to facilitate attachment of a snap hook or other connector to the D ring. The spring-loaded mechanism of U.S. Pat. No. 7,073,627 and Published U.S. Patent Application No. US2005/0082114 can be somewhat costly to manufacture. Moreover, moving parts such as spring can sometime become disconnected with the remainder of the assembly or fail during use.
It is often desirable that a safety harness also be provided with a means of providing an indication that the safety harness has been subjected to a significant force or impact (such as occurs during an impact or a fall). In that regard, a safety harness or a lanyard that has been subjected to such a force should be taken out of service. U.S. Pat. No. 4,253,544, for example, discloses a lanyard in which stress of a fall causes breakage of stitching and the release of a flag as an indicator. U.S. Pat. No. 6,006,860 discloses a safety harness in which visible rupture of stands of fabric in a harness webbing provides an indication of a fall.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,073,627 and Published U.S. Patent Application No. US2005/0082114 disclose a dorsal pad assembly that includes a D ring connector portion in which the D ring is urged to an upright position as described above. The dorsal pad assembly of U.S. Pat. No. 7,073,627 and Published U.S. Patent Application No. US2005/0082114 can also include an impact indicator in the form of a clip to which D ring is operatively connected. In the case of a fall, the D ring snaps out of the D ring clip/indicator by deflecting catches built into the D ring clip/indicator, thereby indicating that a force has been applied to the D ring. A bar portion of the D-ring can also include a colored portion or an ink cartridge that is broken that becomes exposed when the D-ring snaps out of the clip. Alternate embodiments of the dorsal pad assembly of U.S. Pat. No. 7,073,627 and Published U.S. Patent Application No. US2005/0082114 disclose impact indicators in the form of a wear pad and/or wear pad frame, or a D-ring bar engaging device, operatively connected to the D-ring. In the case of a fall, the D-ring is moved relative to the wear pad and/or wear pad frame, or the bar engaging device, thus breaking rivets, breaking an ink cartridge, exposing a colored portion of the D-ring or deflecting tabs, thereby indicating a force has been applied to the D-ring. U.S. Pat. No. 7,073,627 and Published Patent No. US2005/0082114 disclose a further alternate embodiment of an impact indicator in the form of a clip that holds the D-ring in a certain position wherein the D-ring is pulled out of the clip in the case of a fall, thereby indicating that a force has been applied to the D-ring.
It is also well known that all portions of the safety harness should be inspected for signs of an impact or fall. It is, for example, well know that back pads used in connection with safety harnesses can distend or otherwise change in appearance and sometimes break in the case of a fall. For example, the User Instructions provided with the Full Body Tiger Harness available from Rose Manufacturing Company, indicate that the D-ring locater pad or back pad should be inspected for a change in appearance (for example, breakage) providing evidence of a fall.
Although a number of fall and/or impact indicators have been provided in a number of harnesses, such indicators can increase the manufacturing time and cost involved in assembly of the harness. This problem is particularly relevant to indicators that include or are part of assemblies of multiple elements. Moreover, such multi-element assemblies can sometimes fail.
It is very desirable to develop improved safety harnesses and elements or components thereof that reduce or eliminate the above and other problems with currently available harnesses.